Shadows' Revenge
by Alexandyne
Summary: Alix, Fang's twin sister? Fang and Max, together again? Angel returns? Alix and Dylan in love? Alix... dead when the by half plan seeks her as it's first victim?   This is after Angel, but it doesn't really matter- it makes sense either way.
1. Chapter 1

I slammed my locker shut, spun, and slid down the wall. Ugh... I so did not want to be here. I took a deep breath, straightened up and rearranged my books. Mr. Becks class was across the hall, and I wove my way through a mass of people into the room. I dropped my pile of books on my desk, and moved to take my seat when I realized I needed to go to the office. I had been sick yesterday- I had a note to give them.

I spun and pulled it out of my pocket, and walked to the door. Just as I reached to open it, someone opened it from the other side and walked through- straight into me. They sent me flying back to land on my butt. I cursed under my breath, and looked up to see the guy who slammed into me. He was a well muscled guy, with twinkling eyes and blonde-brown hair. I suppose I would have thought him good looking if I hadn't been pissed off.

"Oh, I'm sorry, here let me help you... I'm Dylan, here..." he said, reaching his hand out to help me up. I glared at him, and distinctly shoved my hand into the floor and got myself up. I shouldered by him (even if it was quite a failure, because my shouldering by him meant bonking my shoulder into his elbow. He was over a head taller than me. Stupid tall guys...) and walked out the door.

Chapter 1

Dylan's POV:

I watched the girl leave the room. She was a little girl, very small... Skinny and maybe 5' tall. Her black hair fell straight, just past her shoulders, and her eyes didn't seem capable of choosing a color. Violet, blue, grey? I watched the door for a minute, before turning to the class and finding an empty desk.

The boy who was next to me leaned over. His hair was blonde and spiked with red, and he was dressed like a punk. "Don't worry about her. She's always moody with people... I'm Duncan, by the way," he said.

"What's her name?" I asked, turning my attention back to the door.

He laughed. "Fallen under her spell already, have you? Her name is Alix. Don't waste your time with her, though. She may look like some little girl you can just take away with you, but I'm telling you- she could kick your ass. What can you bench? Like, 350? I'd bet she's tougher than you, all packed into a little body. She's probably in your league, all muscled as you are, but again, don't waste your time."

"Alix..." I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "You sound like you speak with experience."

"Yeah. Humiliation is the best teacher, apparently." He smirked. "Some people don't learn the lesson, though. Watch." he pointed to the door, as the girl – Alix – walked back in and she took her seat. A big guy, football player probably, slid into the desk next to her. He reached out and touched a lock of her hair. I stiffened and then chided myself – jealous already?

"I will give you until the count of three to get your hand OFF my hair, Jared, until I beat your face in," she said. I relaxed a bit.

"Ah, you know you like it." He shoved his fingers in and tangled them in her hair.

"One,"she said. I could see tension in her shoulders.

"Cmon. How about you and me, tonight, at 8? There's a movie."

"Two..."

"Ya know ya wanna!"

"Three!" she reached out, snapped his arm away and out of her hair, twisted it behind his back, and flipped him out of his desk and to the ground. She stood and placed her foot squarely on his chest, "Touch me again and I won't go so easy on you."

"whoa, she kicks ass..." I whispered. "you were right."

The door banged open, and in strode the man I assumed to be the teacher. Behind him followed someone I never really expected to see- Iggy. The teacher took one look at Alix and Jared, and sighed. "Miss Airrose, can you go one day without knocking Mr. Martin to the ground? I'm aware he probably deserved it, but just once." Alix smiled, and took her foot off Jared's chest, and returned to her seat. Jared got up and also got in his seat. And just like that, the professor started class.


	2. Chapter 2

Alix's POV:

Alright, I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not completely normal. I don't really have a... "family". I live by myself. I have a cabin in the woods, and I know this won't sound right, but...

I live with my animal friends. I know it sounds Disney Princess-y, but it's not, I swear. I've never been good with people but I have always been good with animals. I stood in the middle of the woods, with my falcon on my shoulder. A wolf was by my side, padding towards my cabin. Squirrels raced along the branches beside me, and a lynx followed me. But that isn't where it ends- they speak to me.

Now, don't look at me funny or anything, I'm not crazy.

I walked down my trail, the creek to my left, hardly making a sound.

___Alix. Slow down. Something doesn't smell right... I'm going to go scout ahead. Wait here._ The wolf, Lupa, looked up at me, her voice filling my head. She trotted ahead and vanished into the trees. I slowed down and looked at Eld, my falcon.

___Eld? Do you know what's going on?_

___No, Alix. Shall I join her to find out?_

___No, no, I want someone to stay here with me._

I stood still, waiting for my wolf to return. The sky hung grey overhead, and it started to rain. Lupa made her way back through the trees.

___Someone is in your cabin. They do not smell like a threat, but proceed with caution._ I nodded, and walked through the path she had just returned from. It opened into a clearing, in which was a small wooden cabin... And one of the windows was open. I crept forwards on silent feet, and peered through the window. There were four people inside, sitting on MY chairs and around MY table. There were two that were very young, a boy no older than ten and a girl no older than eight, but there were two teens my age or older. A girl with light brown hair, streaked with blonde, and a boy with black hair like mine, and who actually sorta looked like me, except for the eyes. His eyes were black.

They seemed to be talking, and I leaned forwards to listen.

"... Are you sure?" the older girl asked. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

"It has to be!" the black haired boy said. "This is where all the records said we needed to be, in this town. I'm just glad we found a cabin- maybe we can stay for a few daysand try to find her." My scalp prickled – no way would they be staying a few days.

"... Fang, think... Is it really likely you have a twin sister? And is it likely she's here? We need to find the others, and then and only then can we go on a quest to find her. If she exists. Why would she be here and not in a lab though? There must be something... WRONG with her... She is your twin! She would have to be mutated in some way. How is it pissible for one child to be born with wings, but the twin without? They let her go, Fang- so that means she didn't end up right. She wasn't usable to them. Do you really want to build up your hopes, just to find some deformed girl as your sister? Is that what you want?"

"No! But... It's something I have to do. I don't expect you to understand, Max," the boy, Fang, said. His voice seemed strained. "It's not your sister we are trying to find." The girl looked like she had been slapped in the face.

"Guys," the little girl whispered. She was looking right at where I crouched by the window. "Someone is here." I grimaced – I was found. I straightened, rolling my shoulders so Eld flew to perch on the window sill. I took a few steps to the right and entered the door, looking in.

"Mind telling me what you are doing in my home?" I asked, looking at the kids. The two my age were standing, their chairs thrown to the floor behind them. "If you wouldn't mind picking those up? I would hate for them to get broken." I knew how I must have looked. A small little girl with messy black hair, trying to stand against what, 4 people? Oh well. Let them underestimate me. My advantage. It did make me nervous though, the girl had to be 8 inches taller than me.

"Who are you?" Max, the girl, demanded.

"I do believe I get to ask that question, considering you are in MY house." Eld got bored on the window sill and flew to my shoulder. I sighed but let him stay.

"I am Max, this is Nick-" she gestured to the older boy "- this is Ariel -" she gestured to the girl "- and this is..."

"Zack," he cut in. I smirked, and turned to the little girl.

"And why can't she tell me your real names?" I asked the little girl. I knew she was lying, because I and already heard her call the boy Fang.

"She is just paranoid, Alix," she said, smiling angelically. I jolt of shock ran down my spine. How did she know my name? "I'm special, like you." She smiled again, answering my unspoken question. I jumped again. I let my breath hiss through my teeth, narrowing my eyes. "I'm Angel, by the way."

I looked around my cabin, feeling truly outnumbered for the first time in my life.


	3. Chapter 3

Alix's POV:

I bit my lip. Something was off about the people in here. They didn't seem... right. Something about them was off. It took me a moment to register it... they didn't smell right. They didn't smell like people. They smelled almost like... birds.

I narrowed my eyes just a bit. "I know who three of the four of you are then." I looked at the little boy, the only one who had yet to tell me his real name. Though, I suppose I can't call him little- he was almost as tall as I was. "Mind telling me YOUR name?"

"The Gasman," he grinned. "Gazzy for short." I thought for a moment as to how he might have gotten that name... then crinkled my nose and took a step away from him.

"Do you guys mind telling me why you are IN MY HOME?" I asked. I was ridiculously proud of myself for keeping my voice even, but I was still nervous. The boy, Fang, had to be at least a foot taller than me, and the girl, Max, had to be 8 inches taller or so. ___Hey, Lupa? Would you mind coming in here and backing me up some?_ I heard her responding touch in my mind, and I could hear her pad across the floor to me. I looked down at her standing beside me, and I could see the trespassers were distracted by her. She was a wolf, after all.

"... That's a wolf," Max said, looking at Lupa. She looked up at me. "That's a WOLF," she repeated. "A WOLF. Who has a pet WOLF?"

"I do. Duh," I said, rolling my eyes. "Don't worry though, she shouldn't bother you as long as you tell me why you're here."

"I'm sorry," Fang cut in. The first time he had spoken since I had come in. "We thought this place was abandoned... We just meant to spend the night. We weren't planning on taking anything... We can go right now."

"Oh no you won't. You broke in. Where are your parents? Are you runaways?" I said, looking around at them.

"We could ask you the same thing," Max said, frowning at me.

"I live on my own. I've lived here my whole life. I'm completely alone except for one day a month, when some guy comes by and brings me food. I don't even know who he really is, but that's all I have," I said. "Now, your turn."

"We're alone too," Max said. "There are three of us who aren't here right now though... We're here looking for them. And someone else."

"And who are you looking for exactly?" I asked, straightening my shoulders. I had to look more imposing than a little girl if I wanted answers.

"Two guys, our age," Max gestured to Fang and herself. "And a girl who's only about 12." I nodded.

"And the someone else?" I inquired.

"We don't really know her name... or anything about her really. We don't even know if she's real. But... yeah," Max said. I arched an eyebrow; she didn't seem like the sort of person who would let go of information like that. Maybe it was Lupa, requiring the truth.

I thought of the two new guys in my class earlier today. What had Mr. Beck's introduced them as?... Dylan and Jeff, right? I think so... I've never been good with names. "What were the names of the two guys you are missing?"

"Um... Dylan and Iggy," Max said. I frowned. Well, one of them had the same name. Then I remembered that these guys had tried to use fake names at first.

"Does 'Iggy' also go by Jeff, by any chance?" I asked. Max frowned and nodded. "Well, there were two new guys in my class today, one named Dylan and one named Jeff."

"Wait," the little girl, Angel, interrupted. "You said a guy came by every month. What's his name?"

"Uh..." I thought for a minute. "Jeb, I think. Why?" All four of them stiffened. Max took a step forwards, trying to ignore Lupa, looking closely at my face. She unnerved me, and so I took a step back. Then she looked at Fang's face. Then mine. Then Fang's. Then mine again.

"Jeb... you know Jeb. And... you live in her cabin. And... and... you look a lot like Fang," she said, turning to look at Fang. But Fang wasn't looking at her... he was looking at me. "Fang?" She asked. "I think we found your sister."


	4. Chapter 4

Dylan's POV:

I didn't really want to go to school that day. But I had been in a fight with Max, and Iggy and Nudge went with me when I left... And I felt responsible for them. And Nudge had really wanted to come to school, and I supposed it couldn't hurt.

But now I felt like it was a mistake. I couldn't get that girl out of my head, no matter what I did... I took a deep breath, sitting on the roof of the school in the rain. I looked at the woods sprawled out around, and wondered if it held somewhere for us to spend the night. There was no way I could afford a hotel room. I stretched my wings out, debating whether I should fly off and look or if I should stay.

"Dylan?" Nudge's voice came from behind me. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," I said, turning to look at her. "Shall we go on a walk through the woods and find a place to spend the night?" She nodded.

"I'll go get Iggy," she said, and walked away. I turned back to watch the trees. A layer of green, dented and pocketed with clearings and ridges where paths run. The others came back, and I could hear the rustle of their feathers as they spread their wings. I jumped from the roof, spreading my wings at the last instant. I flew through the trees, smelling the rain.

As I wove back and forth, I began to notice something. The animals were completely gone form the all of the woods, except for along one single solitary path. On that path by a creek, the birds sung and deer stood in the water. I paused... It was curious, this was. I folded my wings, and landed softly in the middle of the path. Some of the animals scattered, but not all. As I watched, I noticed they were moving deeper into the woods, down the path. I could see the birds fluttering through the trees, and all moved that way. I decided to follow them, hearing the thump as Iggy and Nudge landed.

The trail eventually emptied into a clearing, in which was a little cottage. And through the open door, I could see a small girl with straight black hair, and a wolf by her side, a falcon on her shoulder. ___Alix._ I crawled closer, wondering why the animals of the woods were gathering here and it seemed she was talking to someone- who? I could see her footprints in the earth- before she had gone to the door, she had gone to the window. And looking at her steps, she had also crept to the window. That meant whoever wad inside wasn't expected.

I looked through the window, and was utterly surprised to see Max, Fang, Angel, and Gazzy inside.

"... Found your sister," Max was saying. My eyes widened... Fang had been trying to find his twin sister. Was it possible his sister was Alix? Their hair and skin tone was alike, but Alix was so small... Short. How could she be related to Fang, if he is 6'1 now? Much less his twin... I straightened and walked to the doorway, looking in.

Alix's POV:

I stared at the four people in front of me. Max, Fang, Gazzy, Angel. Who were they? And why did they call me Fang's sister? I felt a chill run through my blood, and took a subconscious step back.

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at them. "How do you know Jeb? Who exactly are you?" I remembered Angel getting in my head. "WHAT are you?" I took another step back and ran into something solid. I wheeled,and saw a man there- he caught my wrists before I could strike out at him. "Dylan?" I stared at him. I tried to pull my hands free, but he held on tight. My wrists completely disappeared in his fist... I swallowed. He was so much bigger than me it was scary. And I couldn't move. But I did have Lupa- so I didn't need to be scared. I narrowed my eyes and bared my teeth.

"Let go of me," I hissed. "Or so help me gods, I will make sure you get hurt beyond your wildest imaginings." Right on clue, Lupa growled. Dylan eyed her uneasily, but let go of my wrists. Only then did I notice Jeff-no, Iggy- behind him, and an African American girl. I took several steps back, only to run into Fang. I whipped around, and backed up against the wall. I was cornered. Automatically, I sent out a distress call to the animals. The lynx leapt through the window, and deer crowded around. The lynx and Lupa took up positions to my right and left. "Stay away from me!"

Unfortunately, my distress call didn't only touch animals. It touched half animals too, as I later found out- giving out my location. I discovered this because all the windows exploded, and in came wolf men. One trained a gun on me, and pulled the trigger before I could react. I felt the prick in my arm and looked down in time to see a dart before my world tumbled away to darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

I groaned. My brain was fuzzy, my thoughts sketchy, and I couldn't seem to focus. All my muscles quivered and I leaned over to my left and gagged. My palms were sweaty against the floor... The floor. Metal? I rolled back over to my back, and forced my eyes open. The ceiling spun, but I could see that it was close, probably only 4 feet above my face. As I moved my head to the side, I could see bars. I jolted upright, regretting it instantly as my vision went spotted.

I swallowed and after a moment I could see again. I looked out through the bars and could see I was in some sort of messed up dog cage, stacked on top of other dog cages leaving me at about 12 feet off the ground. In all cages around me, I could see people. Or things LIKE people. My stomach heaved when I saw a fish like being scores the room, green and scaled, and obviously dead. I turned away. Then I looked back into the room, searching for the kids who had been in my cabin. None of them were there. I leaned back against the bars of my cage, swallowing. I heard a BANG as a door slammed open, and I bolted upright again.

A man walked into the room with a clipboard. He began looking in cages, making checks and marks on his paper as he walked around the room. When he finished, he ended up by me.

"So," he said, smiling a creepy smile. "This is our newbie, eh? Too bad your brother found you, or we could have let you roam with your animals longer. But since you now know, we have to keep you here. Don't blame us, blame your brother." I blinked in confusion.

"What? I don't have a brother. And what do I know?" I asked, truly confused. Then I remembered the boy... "ohmigods. Is he actually...? Is he...? He's really... No..." I said to myself. Everything I had ever known had totally fallen apart. I had always been just me. No parents, no siblings- and now I had a twin? I had always had my animals, and now I was caged up and away. I was locked away from my home in gods know where, in a dog cage... And... I was just so confused.

"I see you remember meeting your brother," the scientist smiled. He was Asian with glasses and a short fat face, dressed in a lab coat with brown pants and dress shoes. He had three pens in his breast pocket, so perfectly spaced I bet you could have taken a ruler and measured and they would have been perfect. "Now, what all did he tell you?"

"Uh, nothing, he wasn't even sure of who I was, I doubt he even knows my name... What do you THINK he knows? Is he a fugitive or something?"

The scientist laughed. "He is a fugitive, in a sense," he said. Then his face hardened. "You mean he didn't tell you anything?"

"No, no, I don't even know his last name. What is this about? Where is this place? What is is place? Why am I here? Who are you? Wh-"

"Enough questions," the scientist said. "This is about you and your brother, in case you didn't know. Our location cannot be disclosed, and this is a lab, in case you also didn't figure that out. You are here because of your brother, and your parents, and your powers. Me? You will find out who I am soon enough."

"What about my parents? And my powers? What powers?" I tried to play ignorant like I didn't know about the powers, but my voice wavered and gave me away.

"Ha! You know very well, Alix. You can speak to the animals! Your mother was injected with animal DNA when she was pregnant with you and your brother. We focused on your brother, and bird DNA... But we didn't know about you. You were hidden, your brother a very large baby and you very small. We didn't know you were there. But the animal DNA got into your blood through him and your mother... But it wasn't as concentrated. You got a general animal DNA. And since it wasn't as concentrated, you didn't develop animal features like your brother-"

"What?"

"Your brother," the scientist frowned. "Your twin. He has wings. Anyway, you got certain qualities as well. You can communicate with animals, as I'm sure you've found. But you can also take their shape... Because you are a mutant. Like your twin." I stared at him, sure my eyes were the size of petri dishes. "When your brother was born, we were excited that we had made a winged child. Then you came. You didn't have wings, so we thought you were normal and fine. We released you into your cottage, keeping an eye on you. We watched you develop powers and sent Jeb to take care of you every month. We figured you didn't know so you would be fine..."

"But then Fang showed up and you guys thought he would tell me," I finished. It made terrible, sickening sense. Except for one detail. "But I can't take the forms of animals."

"You haven't," he corrected. "Doesn't mean you can't."

I stared at him for a long moment.

He straightened his jacket, and walked out the door saying, "I will be back to run some tests later, Alix."


	6. Chapter 6

Fang's POV:

I felt hollow. It was wrong, and twisted, and I didn't like it in the least. I had just found my sister. I hadn't even gotten to learn her name. And now... She's gone. And what could I do about it? Precious little. Erasers had broken through the windows, shot her with a tranquilizer, and dragged her away. And then they fought the rest of us. Dylan had a bruise running up the whole right side of his face, his eye swollen shut.

I sat in a broken 3 legged chair, my head in my hands.

For as long as I could remember, I had just had Max and Nudge and Gaz and Ange and Iggy. And then I found out I had a sister. And no, not just any sister- a TWIN sister. I had had a twin without knowing it. I had searches a month for her through files and finally found she was here, in this little town up north. And I had found her. And within minutes she had been taken away. Even her animals had been bagged and dragged.

I looked up from my hands, fixing my gaze on the broken window in front of me. I wasn't crying. No, I didn't do that sort of thing. What would the others think? No, I kept a straight face. Crying was to admit defeat.

And I was most certainly not admitting defeat.

Alix's POV:

It was dark and lonely. The other kids... If you could call them that... Were silent. The door opened and I sat up, expecting the doctor to come back. But it was just a maid to clean up. She pushed one of those buckets around that you see janitors in schools with, and mops and a broom. She pushed them over to a corner and looked around, then walked back into the hallway. She came back in with one of those portable dumpster things.

She looked in the cages, pulling out various creatures and dumping them in. One of them was the fish thing I had seen earlier. I shivered and melted back into my cage, still watching. She pushed the dumpster out the door, and went about sweeping and mopping the floor. She returned the cart to the corner, and opened a square in the wall I hadn't noticed before. Inside it seemed to be a supply closet, with light bulbs and pens and wires and towels and rubber bands bands and a little jar of marbles, scissors, and other things you might find in supply closets. There was also a ladder, which she pulled out to replace a light bulb (there had to be a ladder to replace the bulbs- I was 12 feet up as is, and there was another row of cages on top of mine). She then climbed down, discarded the dead bulb, put up the ladder, closed the closet, grabbed her bucket, turned out the main lights and left.

The room was then lit with a flickering light, almost like what you see in horror movies.

After a few minutes, another scientist came in. He walked to the same closet and got out the wire. He looked up at me, nodded a greeting, then went to one of the cages. My stomach turned as I wondered what he would do. Inside the cage was a girl, whose hands he bound with wire like handcuffs and spun out into a leash so he could walk her by it. He then clipped the length from the rest of the wire, and returned it to the supply closet. He walked out of the room leading the girl.

Minutes later, screams bounced down the hallway.

They were a girl's.

My stomach heaved, and I shrank further back into my cage.

___What kind of a monstrous place was this?_


	7. Chapter 7

Alix's POV:

In my seemingly endless hours in the cage, I had time to mull things over. Was it possible I had a twin, much less one with wings? And what kind of a name was Fang, anyway? I wondered how I could change shapes. I'd never done so before, so how would I do it? Was this even real? What would they do to me? And, most important, how do I escape?

The room dimmed as night fell and sunlight ceased to shine through the windows, and just the few flickering light bulbs lit the room.

"Alix?" I jumped. I hadn't even heard the scientist enter. It was the same one as before, and this time he held the wire in his hands.

He pulled a sliding ladder, like those they have in libraries, around so it was at the bottom of my cage. He then went up the ladder, pushed a button on the side of my dog cage I hadn't seen before, and the door swung open.

I stand corrected.

Not a dog cage.

A ___high tech_ dog cage.

He tied the wire around my wrists like he had done with the girl, and went down the ladder. He then waited for me to follow. I didn't.

"I'm not going until you tell me where you are taking me," I said.

"Don't worry, you'll still be in this building," he said. I still didn't move. "Come on." Still, I didn't budge. I could seed he was getting impatient. "Get down this ladder right now, you stupid mutant!" I didn't move, and he tugged on his end of the wire so hard if yanked me out of my cage and I fell 12 feet down the ladder to the floor.

I gasped as the wind was knocked out of my lungs, and stars floated across my vision. I lay on my back on the floor, and I could feel warm, sticky blood matting the hair at the back of my head. Now I have one thing to say about that: OW.

I groaned.

"Get up you weak little mutt," he grumbled. I wondered what had happened to the nice, friendly scientist he had been earlier. I liked him better. I pushed myself up, trying to ignore pain rushing through my body. My wrists burned where the wire had cut into them when he had yanked and I could see blood running down my hands. I looked back at where I'd fallen and there was a bloodspot where my head had landed.

I moaned softly, but the lab coat guy didn't give me a chance to lick my wounds, so to speak. I'd have to come up with a name for those guys. Scientists just didn't cut it... Maybe White Coats?

He dragged me through hallway after hallway, and finally I saw an exit. My mind raced, and I made a mental note to memorize the route on the way back. He pushed me into a room and inside was an operating table, a tread mill, and some things covered with sheets.

The tests were nightmarish. I ran miles, I was forced to talk to animals while they monitored me, I was stretched and poked and prodded at. They took blood and injected me with assortments of needles and mixtures ranging in color from red to green to black to clear. They ran me through mazes and electrocuted me, clipped my hair, and shot me with tranquilizers.

Finally, they led me back to the room with the cages and I memorized the route back. Right, left, straight, down, right, left, down, left, left, straight and finally the 7th door on the right. So that meant going back would be going out the door turning left, then straight, then right, right, up, right, left, up, straight, right, and finally left. I repeated it over and over again.

In the room, they didn't put me back in my original cage. They put me in the one the dead fish-kid had been in earlier.

Where the cages made a circle there was one point where the cages doubled over so they were very close and you could easily see the one in front of you. If you just entered the room I was put on the second level up, on the left side. I mumbled when he removed the wire around my wrists and left the room.

I leaned back against the wall and looked out my cage door and into the cage across from me. Inside the cage was a girl. The girl they had taken out before. She was asleep, and I studied her face. She had a young face, with slightly elvish features. Her lashes were long and dark, and her hair was filthy and matted. It was dark from dirt but I could see it would normally be very light, maybe pale blonde or even white. I didn't see anything... WRONG with her like with the others. She didn't have a tail (at least that I could see) and didn't seem to have scales, either. All in all she seemed fairly... Human. Then again, so did I.

Her eyes snapped open as if she felt my gaze on her. Her eyes were blue, and a very uniform blue at that. Something seemed vaguely... Off in her eyes, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Who are you?" she asked softly.

"Right now, just someone trapped in here," I answered.

She smirked. "Have you no name you could tell?"

"Yes. My name is Alix," I said. "With an 'i'."

"I'm Aqua. With a Q," she responded. I let myself smile somewhat in response.

"So why are you here?" I asked.

"Honestly?" she responded.

"Yes, honestly,"I said.

"Honestly... I can't remember," she said with a shrug. "I can't even remember what color hair I would have under all this grime. I don't remember anything... Since that time they took me into the laboratory hours ago."

"Wow... They can take your memory," I mused. "Do you know what this means?" She shook her head. "This means we have to get out of here, ASAP."

And so we concocted our scheme to escape.


	8. Chapter 8

Fang's POV:

At this point, it had been about 10 hours since they had taken Alix. Dylan had rejoined with us along with Iggy and Nudge, making it just the seven of us. I desperately hoped it would be eight, and soon.

After a few minutes of talking, we decided they would have had to take her to the nearest lab, which was in Arizona. We had just arrived, and were searching for the lab desperately.

Eventually we saw the telltale hill where the lab was, built under the earth.

The sky was dark and stars twinkled and lit the earth in a blue glow. I flew down and landed by the opening. We had to plan a way to get in, and we had to succeed.

I needed my sister.

Alix's POV:

We made an absolutely EPIC escape plan, if I do say so myself. We decided we would not just break ourselves out, but as many prisoners as we could. A girl, Karma, who had been here far longer than me, and could remember far longer than Aqua, helped us out with the planning. She told us when the lab shut down and the scientists left, and she pointed out the most vital part of our plan- the birds nesting in the rafters.

And so, when the scientists left and the building was empty save for us, our plan began. If only I knew how to do the first part...

I took a deep breath and summoned a little brown bird from the rafters, calling him down to me. He chirped quietly and jumped along the bottom bar that went across my cage, and I spoke to him.

___Listen, I need your help._

___Chir-chir-chirp How?_

___I need to shift my shape. Can you help?_

___You will know, don't worry._ He chirped, and then shoved his beak into his feathers and pulled out a feather, and dropped it on the floor of my cage. He then flew back up to the rafters. Gee, very helpful. I picked up the feather and twirled it in my fingers. An odd instinct hit me. I put out the pointer and middle finger of my left hand, and placed the feather on them. I took a deep breath and felt a churning in my heart, and I blew on the feather. It floated up into the air, and dissolved into an explosion of fine silver dust that fell all over me. The dust pushed in on my body, reshaping it and bending and flattening my arms into wings and feathers pierced out of my flesh and I was compacted and squished into a bird smaller than my fist.

The feeling was not entirely unpleasant, but it certainly wasn't comfortable. When it was through and done I was a small bird just like that which I had called down, and just small enough to fit perfectly through the bars of the cage. I fluttered out, and landed on the floor in the middle of the room. I blew through my beak, and I changed back. Thankfully, I still had my clothing... Unfortunately, I didn't have my shoes. I suppose the rubber couldn't shape change.

I went to Aqua's cage first, and pushed the button that let her out. Then I went around and pushed all the other buttons. Only about half got out. The others remained motionless and staring, the sight making me sick to my stomach.

We all went to the supply closet to get out what we had planned to use. We then went to our designated areas in the lab, to begin laying our traps. We had approximately 6 hours to have everything set before the first wave of scientists came in.

We would have just walked out, naturally, of course that was too simple. The doors were locked, bolted, and reinforced during closed hours, so no one could get in or out. So we went about using what we had.

They began setting up contraptions, like hanging the jar of marbles by wire so when they dropped it it would throw marbles everywhere. They set up similar things with lightbulbs, and they spread glue in front of the doors so that their shoes would stick to it. Beyond that the glue, we had the lightbulbs so the broken glass would hit their bare feet. They set up scissors like darts, and pens like needles.

I set about breaking brooms into super sharp shards. I then punched holes in the ceiling and climbed up inside of it, using wire to tie the ends of the brooms in such a fashion that there would be one wire coming down from the ceiling, and if it were to be released the shards would fall in either a cage wall or razor sharp spears... depending on my intent at the time. Wire was used to create trip wires and nets, and by 5 hours and 50 minutes we were done.

We took up positions, and we waited. The doors bleeped as the clock hit 5 AM, and they unlocked. Scientists began to come in. First came the glue and light bulbs from the West Wing. Screams and chaos resounded through the lab. Then from the East Wing, where marbles and scissors attacked. The scientists where we were, in the North Wing, started running to find the source of the chaos. Karma yanked a trip wire, sending the first wave of scientists falling onto a net that snapped into the ceiling. The stragglers sprinted to avoid us, which I promptly dropped my door to stop. Unfortunately (and disgustingly) one was caught under it, and her blood stained the marble tiles crimson. I looked away, covering my mouth.

In mere moments, all the scientists were down and we sprinted for the escape. I paused for a long moment, and then realized what I was missing. ___My animals._ I knew they were here, they had to be. I spread a frantic call out, and found their responding voices. From that lab room, right where I had been tested, in the North Wing, about 6 feet from my right. I ran inside, and looked but didn't see them. It looked much the same as before: the operating table, the treadmill, the things covered with fabric... ___The things covered with fabric._ I jumped out and snatched away the cloth, and saw the curved bird cage and the squared dog cage that held my falcon and my wolf. I opened the doors, and they flew/pounced out, Eld to my shoulder and Lupa was out the door.

___Alix, we must hurry! _Lupa's voice echoed in my head. I hit the hall at a dead run, following the rest of my group out and into the sweet glorious dawn...

And ran smack dab into my brother.


	9. Chapter 9

I stood, looking Fang full on, and was too surprised to say a word. Judging by the collection of logs, and the fact the rest of the flock was there, they had been preparing to break in just before the scientists had come.

I blinked. He blinked. I took a step back so I wasn't right there in his face, only to bump into Dylan.

"Jeez, you guys really need to stop doing that," I mumbled, side stepping both of them. I watched mutants and the poor kids who were imprisoned run out into the woods. Only three from the lab stayed and didn't run. Aqua, Karma, and one of the boys. The boy had messy light red/brown hair, and green eyes. He was a well built sort of guy, tall, with a fair amount of muscles. I think his name was... Denton? Darrel? Drew? Or did it even start with a D? Maybe it was Razor? Who knows.

"Alix," Fang said softly, like he was trying out my name. "Alix." he said again. Immediately and naturally, I got defensive.

"Why do you keep saying my name? You don't know me! You spoke to me all of what, 5 minutes?" I snapped. I saw pain flicker through his eyes, even if no emotion touched his face. He covered it almost at once, but I still felt guilty for it. I had spoken to him like a total stranger, like he hadn't been who I was thinking about in my pathetic dog cage. Wondering what he was like, if he was really my brother, who he was, who our parents were...

I opened my mouth to appologise, but he just shook his head.

"How did you guys get here?" I asked. Then I remembered what the scientist had said. "Is it true? Do you really have wings?" Fang nodded without making a peep. He shed his shirt, and spread huge raven wings from his back. I stared at the winged, the feathers, eyes wide.

"What are you?" the little girl, Angel, asked. "You have to be something otherwise they would not have taken you."

I opened my mouth, only to find I lacked the words to tell them what I was. "Honestly, I'm not sure."

"Well, what are your abilities?" the blind dude, Iggy, asked.

"I... I talk to animals," I said. "And I can take their shape." I reached up and ruffled Eld's feathers subconsciously. I looked at them. "Do you all have wings?" I asked. They all nodded. I turned to Aqua and Karma, "Do you have wings, too?"

"Yeah," Karma said. Aqua frowned.

"I can't remember. Let's find out," she said. She reached back and put her fingers under her shirt, and I could see feathers and slits in the back of her shirt. I said so, and she moved long limbs out through them. Wings. Like hummingbird wings, except larger. They were blue/green and iridescent, with streaks of white on her primaries. They were much smaller than Fang's.

"So I suppose Alix and I are the only ones without wings, then?" the boy - still can't remember his name, I think it's Denton - said. I turned to him.

"What do you do, then?" I asked.

"I am... Much less original than you guys. The scientists? They decided to turn me into Wolverine," he said.

"You can turn into a wolverine?" The African American girl, I think her name was Nudge, said.

"No, no. Wolverine. The movie, the guy. The person with the knives between his fingers," he responded. I reached out his hand so everyone could see, then clinched his fist. In the soft spot between his knuckles, huge knives slid out of his skin. They had to be at least a foot long, and almost as wide as his hand, but thin and they came to a razor edge.

"Whoa," escaped everyones mouths.

"Yeah, that's why they call me Razor," he said softly. "i don't know who I can go with you guys much further though because all of you guys can fly. Maybe I should just go-"

"No!" Karma jumped in, shushing his words. "I mean, I'm sure we can find a way, right?"

Jut then I noticed we were still right in front of the doors, and we needed to get out of there.

"Look, we can talk about this later. For right now, we need to go," I said. After a moment of thought, everyone nodded and we scattered into the woods. 


	10. Chapter 10

I stood silently in the middle of the woods, a stormy breeze rustling through the trees. The sun was now hidden behind heave grey clouds, and I could smell the coming rain. The wind whipped my dark hair around my face, and I brushed it back impatiently.

"Alix," Dylan said softly behind me. I turned and looked at him full on. I hadn't even heard him come, and neither Lupa nor Eld had bothered to warn me. What kind of guard animals were they?

I suppose it was when I looked at his eyes something clicked inside me. But suddenly, I wasn't irritated or angry with him anymore. What did he do, really? Other than bump into me and throw me to the ground on accident... His eyes twinkled as they watched me.

"Dylan," I responded.

"I..." he said. He swallowed and tried again. "I am... Sorry about the other day... I didn't mean to bu-" I silenced him with a wave of my hand, dismissing the apology. None was needed.

"I am the one who should appologise," I said softly. "I was way too irritated about that. It was an accident." He blinked, as though he hadn't been expecting me to say something like that. He smiled timidly, and took a step towards me. Uncertain, I took a step back. His smile vanished, but he forced it back onto his face. He took two quick steps forward and reached out to grab my hand before I could react. He took a step so that we are both facing the same way, into the woods.

I stiffened, and tried to tug my hand back. Then I decided he wouldn't hurt me, and relaxed some. I let myself hold his hand, momentarily putting down my walls.

Rain started to fall, light and sweet. The calm patter of water against leaves filled the woods.

"Alix, Dylan," Max said from behind us. We turned quickly, dropping our hands. She arched an eyebrow, but made no comment. "Its time we should be going." I nodded, then paused.

"How am I supposed to fly...?" I asked. Then felt stupid, because I could shift my shape. "I mean, and like talk to. You guys in the air," I added quickly.

"Well..." she thought for a moment. "You can take animal shapes, so why not people shapes? You can try to copy one of our shapes," she said triumphantly. Wow, that was a good idea... Why didn't I think of that? She spread her wings, and pulled one of her feathers and gave it to me.

I held it, and, like I had done with the bird, blew the feather into the air. It dissolved into silver dust, but some was washed away by the rain and it only landed on my back. I gasped... Ow! This was far worse than turning into a bird! New bones grew, flesh was torn and grown and stretched. feathers pierced my skin and grew out. After a moment, I noticed it was only in my back. I didn't get taller like Max, my hair didn't change colors like Max, and my skin didn't get lighter like Max's. I frowned when it was done and spread my new wings tentatively. They didn't hurt anymore, and were brown in a perfect mirror image of Max's, only smaller.

Now, whether this was because the dust only landed on my back or because Max only had feathers on her back, or because she was human in other senses and that was the only part that was animal, i didn't know. But either way, I was winged and myself at the same time.

"Wow," Max said, staring. "Never seen something like that before." she got a thoughtful look on her face. "So... Its that silver dust that changes your shape then?" I nodded. We had the same thought at the same time.

"So could it change another persons shape?" we asked together. The three of us turned and ran to where the others were.

"Razor, stand up!" I said, yanking him to his feet.

"Wait, wha-"

"No time for words, someone gimme a feather!" Dylan already had one in his hand. I rolled it between my fingers, then blew it. It flew into the air and dissolved into silver dust. I took a quick step back and pulled Razor to where id been standing, so all the dust landed on him. I watched the dust suck into his skin and dissolve, and i watched pain ripple his face. In a mere second, he had huge wings. I remembered when I had gone through the change it had felt like longer, though I suppose it must have just seemed like it.

"Whoa!" he said, reaching around to look at his wings. Then he realized he could move them as well, and moved them out to look at them.

"I don't know how long this will last," I said. "Lets just hope we don't fall out of the sky." He looked at me, wide eyed, and nodded.

Karma stood and reached out to hold his hand, looking in awe of his wings. And in awe of me. I arched an eyebrow, then realized I was almost perfectly miring what had happened with Dylan, me, and Max earlier. Except this time I was Max.

Fang was staring at me again, and I glanced away.

"Shall we take to the skies?" Aqua asked calmly, making her presence known. I blinked. I hadn't noticed her a moment ago. I nodded, and we spread our wings.

Flying was like an odd second nature. Now whether that was from my clumsy glide in the lab or because it came with the wings, or because it came from Max, I didn't know. But I relished the feeling of the air between my feathers, and the wind against my face and a feeling of freedom that ran through my blood.

I flew up and up into the sky, through spirals, and vanished into the rainclouds.


	11. Chapter 11

Clouds were thick and heavy, sticking in my hair and dampening my face. My feathers dripped from it, and my clothes were damp. I was still barefooted, though I suppose that didn't much matter so many feet in the air.

Dylan flew next to me, beside me, with an odd posture as though he was protective of me. No, more than protective... Possesive. Fang flew on my other side, Dylan's posture mimicked in his body. He was glaring at Dylan over my head, and every time he flew over to Max, Fang's glare grew even fiercer. I bit my lip. Great. A possessive brother, and a guy who - if my sneaking suspicion was right - had a crush on me. And Dylan also seemed to want to claim Max, but clearly Fang liked Max... The war of the alpha males. The testosterone was so thick in the air I felt like I would choke on it.

As the flight continued, our mindless float on the wind, Dylan stopped trying to fly by Max whenever Fang became too protective. He just stayed by my side, with Fang watching him warily. I couldn't help but sigh in exasperation.

I watched Fang. His face was naturally set in grim determination, his face lacked the chubby cheeks that people who smile a lot tend to have. He had a stubborn set to his jaw, and the flesh below his eyes was carefully blank of emotion. But his eyes weren't so grim. They held everything about him, about his life and emotions.

"Where is your group Fang? We should try and find them before going any further. To introduce them to our... Newest member," Max said. I frowned. This is ringing a bell. I faintly remembered some old books Jen had brought me: the Maximum Ride series. I reached into thr back of my mind and pulled out the stories... And nearly had a heart attack. This was them! Those books. The last one I had read was... Angel I believe. But at the end of Angel, Ange had been unconscious... And trapped... Whoa, whoa.

"Wait..." I said. I proceeded to fill them in on my thoughts. "Explain what happened after that." And the story he said up to the current point...

Will be told in the next chapter.


	12. Chapter 12

The story Fang told me is as follows:

Fang's POV:

I remember leaving Max, the day after the explosion. It hurt to be with her... and it didn't hurt as much without her, even though I loved her. And always would... it didn't seem like she needed me anymore. So my new group and I headed for New York. We were gone from Paris soon enough and back in America, landing in the big apple.

We rented a hotel room, and I left for a night fly when I saw something familiar. The street where we had been in New York so long ago, where there was the man hole and the sewers and the lab.

I flew back but after a few days, I began to wonder. No call from Max, saying they found Angel or they found her body. She was still missing... and that meant she had been taken. And the only people who would take her would be the labs... and if so there would be information in the lab. In New York.

I picked up the phone and called her.

"Max," I said into the phone. "Don't hang up please." I could hear her hesitation, debating. "Hear me out." I explained my thought process. "Max, please come to New York. We can go into the lab together. And help Angel... together." After a while she agreed, and brought the flock over by plane. By five days after the explosion, the flock was in New York and we staged an invasion plan.

We slunk through the sewers, with Star muttering about how gross this was and with Max telling her to shut up. Everything was dark, and when we got to the lab it was abandoned. It was better than how we had left it, and was obviously still functioning. It took Nudge moments to hack into the computers, and I left her to that while I searched files.

Dimly, I heard them talking and saying that indeed the lab did have Angel, and she was in a different lab in the same city. But I was distracted... by my file.

_Experiment: "Fang"_

Birthdate: August 18th, 1995  
Height: 6'4  
Weight: 130  
Family Relations: Mother- Gillean Rose Shadow. Father- Michelangelo Arthur Shadow. Siblings-1-Twin Sister- Alixandryne (Alix) Rose Shadow.  
Mutation: 2% Avian  
Abilities: Invisibility. Water-Breather. Unknown Others.  
Status: Living

There was a fuzzy black and white picture paper clipped to it of me. I couldn't read past there. I was fixated on one set of words. _Siblings-1-Twin Sister_

I searched for the file that would hold my sister's information.

_Experiment: "Alix"  
Birthdate: August 18th, 1995  
Height: 5'0  
Weight: 85  
Family Relations: Mother- Gillean Rose Shadow. Father- Michelangelo Arthur Shadow. Siblings-1-Twin Brother- Jacob "Fang" Shadow  
Mutation: Unidentified.  
Abilities: Classified.  
Status: Unknown._

I stared fixedly at the word "Unknown" on her profile. an unfocussed black and white picture was paper-clipped to her profile as well. The girl in the picture had dark hair, but her features were too blurred to make out could they not know if she was alive or not? Eventually the others came to see what I was looking at. They removed the files from my hand and looked. I hardly registered it. I had a sister. I had a sister? A sister... I had to find her.

"It says she lives close to my mom," Max said.

And that was that. We went on to the other lab and broke Angel out, and then we went to go find Alix. And well, as can be seen... we found her. Along the way I made up with Max, as should be obvious.

Alix's POV:

I stared at him for a long moment when he was done telling the story. Dylan wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and I stiffened.

That's when an explosion shook the earth.


	13. Chapter 13

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The air shook with explosions, and a scream escaped my lips. Eld tumbled from the skies, and I made a strangled sound as my falcon plummeted to earth. My new wings were faulty on the wind, and I fell. Debris cut my skin.

I felt arms ensnare my waste and looked up to see Dylan holding me, closely followed by Fang. A second explosion sent me from his arms, and I fell again. I flung my arms out, and my fingers burned. Fire flew from my hands in a ring around me, the heat searing my feathers. The shock didn't last, I was busy trying to make my wings work.

A word was torn from my lips as the ground slammed up to met me. "Dylannnnn!"

He caught me once more, and he slowed my fall enough so when we hit the ground we rolled. I gasped as I felt something snap in my chest, and small cuts sprang up on my arms. When we stopped rolling, Dylan was on top of me. I couldn't breathe- I was sure I had at least one broken rib. And he most certainly wasnt helping. Blood matted my hair and my vision tunneled, but I held from blacking out.

Dylan took a deep breath and began pushing himself up. A thump came from my left and Fang showed up, pushing Dylan off me to help me up. I couldn't get up though. I felt like a worthless weakling. Ew. Reduced to this by a few broken ribs and perhaps a concussion? How weak can I get?

As he tried to pull me up, I slumped, unable to support my weight. Dylan found his feet and took me from Fang, holding me bridal style. I protested weakly but he ignored them.

"Dylan I can stand fine on my own," I lied. "put me down this instant... I can stand on my own mister... Let me down..."

"Alix," he said, something of fondness showing in his voice. "Shut up."

He spread his wings and went back up, but I screamed a protest. "Eld!" I yelled, searching the earth frantically with my eyes. I noticed a falcon in a tree, eying me.

_Alix. You'd think you didn't know I've been flying all my life._ His eyes twinkled. I grumbled and rolled my eyes.

Another explosion shook everything, and Erasers pored into the woods where we had been standing moments ago.

"Oh no you don't, girl!" one snarled up at me. "You will meet the line between death and life!" he threw an explosive up at me, and the world erupted in fire. My vision scorched white... And then black.


	14. Chapter 14

Something broke inside of me. I think it was my mind. When I came to, I didn't really come to. When you come to you're supposed to open your eyes and see the world around you... for real.

And I couldn't.

Something was wrong with me... I couldn't see. There wasn't a black, or a white even, or a frickin' rainbow. There was... _nothing. _I screamed. It was the most terrifying thing to possibly happen to me. There wasn't a darkness some people talk about. There was... absolutely nothing. At least my ears still worked. I reached down and tried to bury my hands in the earth, but my fingers met cold hard steel. _What was this? _I swallowed. I sent out a tendril of my mind to see what the world outside of me held, and flinched back when I felt broken minds.

I choked in terror, and reached out to grasp the iron bars of my cage.

"What is this?" I whispered out loud.

"Alix?" a voice asked. Familiar... but I still couldn't place it. And what was the word it spoke?

"Who's there?" I lashed out with angry words.

"Alix, it's me, Iggy," the voice responded. I frowned.

"I don't know an Iggy. Who is Alix?" I called out.

"Alix... you are Alix. Are you OK?" the voice- I identified it as male- called again.

"Like hell I'm OK!" I snapped. "What is this? Where am I? Why can't I see?"

"Iggy, what's wrong with her?" a feminine voice asked.

"I don't know, Aqua," he responded, scared.

"Who are you people?" I made a strangled noise. I identified them as the reason I was in the cage. "What do you want from me?"

"Alix," a different boy's voice said groggily. "We're in here like you. What's wrong with her?"

"That's what we are trying to find out, Dylan," the first boy said.

"Let me be," I whispered, horrified at the number of people around my cage.

"Alix, it's OK, we're your brother's friends," the second boy said. I noted how his voice wobbled, and how it cracked when he said 'friends'.

"I don't have a brother," I said, desperately searching my memories. Terror gripped me tighter when I found I remembered... nothing. It was as blank as my vision. "At least... I don't think I do."

"Alix?" yet a third boy's voice reached me. "Alix, of course you have a brother." His voice was deep and I could tell it was normally voice of emotion, but I thought I could hear a faint note of... something. Almost like... lost hope.

"Fang, she doesn't remember us, I think there's something wrong with her," the girl's voice said.

"Oh no," the second boy said. "I remember when I picked her up, she had hit her head in the fall. Maybe... a concussion? Maybe... amnesia. That must be it."

"What have you done with me?" My voice was shrill. "What did you do to my eyes, you bastards! Let me go at once you have no business doing anything of this sort..." I trailed off, wondering if they were even the cause of what was happening to me.

"Alix, we are in cages like you, calm down," the second boy said. For some reason, I felt like... believing him. "What's wrong with your eyes, hon?" Even without my sight, I could see that boy number 3 was shooting daggers at boy #2.

"I can't see... ANYTHING," I choked out.

"It should pass," a new voice said. I jumped back- he sounded closer. Right outside my cage. "We'll do some experiments to.. ah, help you." The cage door opened, and I felt several large hands rap themselves around my biceps and pull me from the cage. I kicked and yelled as double doors made squeaking sounds and the floor changed- I was dragged from the room. I heard a chorus of voices screaming _ALIX! _as I was dragged away.

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	15. Chapter 15

And... Right about then was when I woke up. I woke screaming and sweating and swearing, twisting around in a blanket in my room on my bed. What... what? I looked around and saw my clock. 2:34 AM. My room was just like I had left it. Lupa grunted and looked up at me from the bottom of my bed and fixed me with an irritated gaze. Only Lupa wasn't a wolf- she was a dog. A husky. And my room wasn't in a little cabin, it was in a mansion. And there were no wings on my back, and I was not alone in the house. My parents were downstairs, sleeping, and my little brother Jacob was just down the hall.

_A dream? How is that possible? No. Way. _But it had to be. I had never been alone in my life - there had always been my family. My name wasn't Airrose, like my teacher in the dream had called me... it was Shadow. Alixandryne Shadow. I lay back against my pillows. I wasn't blind. I wasn't with my twin and I wasn't with his girlfriend or a guy who had a crush on me, or with Aqua and Karma and Razor. I didn't even have a twin. And I could remember everything, too. The new boy in class today, named Dylan and how he had knocked me over. And creepily enough, he was in my dream. And so was the dark haired boy, and the blonde girl and the blonde boy who had joined my class as adopted siblings. They had been in my dream, too. As well as Aqua and Karma and Razor (Who's real name was Smith, we just called him that) who had been my best friends since... Kindergarten.

I took a deep breath, and knotted the blanket around my hands. _It was just a dream, Alix. Just a dream... Nothing else. _I closed my eyes, and went back to sleep.

* * *

In the morning, sitting around the table, I didn't utter a word about my dream. It was... to weird. I was in my baggy tan pants and skater shoes, with a dark yellowy-green skin tight shirt under a black hoodie with red peace signs on it. On my shirt in itty bitty black letters, it said "You're too close if you can read this. Try looking at my face." I kicked my skateboard up, grabbed my pack, and walked out the door. I jumped on my board and kicked it over the steps, popping the curb and skating down the bus stop was at the end of the street, but I didn't really care. I wanted to skate to school today. I noticed the new kids come out of the woods on the other side of the street, along with Ella. I knew Ella- her and her mom lived down through the woods in a nice house, I used to play with her when we were younger but when I went to highschool and she staying in middle school, it was hard to hang out. I frowned to myself- there wasn't anything down there other than the house. Why were they staying with Dr. Martinez? They looked just like in my dream.

"Hey, wait a sec," the one bafoon that bumped into me called. I sighed, and slowed, popping my skateboard up on it's back. A dream shouldn't change my attitude towards him- he's still a clutz.

"What?" I asked, mildly irritated.

"Yesterday, I didn't catch your name," he said. I rolled my eyes.

"Does it matter?" I grumbled as he got within earshot of mumblings.

"Well... I'd like to know," he said, taken aback. I regretted my words for a moment, then decided I didn't need to- the only thing he had done to make me think well of him was things he did in my dream, not in real life.

"Alix," I said, looking at him and then walking forward again. He jogged to get by my side. We walked in awkward silence for a while, with his group behind me. I stifled a cornered feeling- if need be, I could outrun them anyway. And Ella was there, so nothing to worry about. "Hey, Els, who are these people?" I turned to look at her.

"Family," she said with a shrug. We walked in silence a moment longer, and his group dropped farther behind our gate.

"So..." he said, looking for a conversation starter. "You seem like you've been here a while." I shot him a look. "Not that that's a bad thing," he quickly covered. "Just... what do people do for fun around here?" I thought about it for a moment.

"A lot of kids go to the movies," I said thoughtfully. "It's Friday, though... we're throwing a party in the woods tonight. The football team won their big game last night."

"Ah... mind if we come?" He looked down at me expectantly.

"I guess not," I said, frowning a bit.

"Will there be booze?" he asked. I looked up at him with a jolt, and saw the twinkling in his eyes that told me he was joking. He laughed a bit, and I punched him lightly in the shoulder but couldn't help smiling myself.

"You think we're like that?" I responded.

"You seem sort of rebellious," he said looking away. Then, with some tease in his voice, he added, "I like rebellious girls." I punched him again, but this time I actually laughed a bit. I looked down at my shoes. Silence wrapped around us again, but this was more comfortable.

We missed the bus, so we walked to school the rest of the way. His gang caught up, and i learned the rest of their names: Max, Jeff, and Nick. Like the fake names from my dream. Must have been coincidence, though.

In homeroom, they sat by Aqua, Karma, Razor and I. Jared didn't even sit near me, with all of them around me. I guess he was intimidated- that's a first.

The school day drew to a close, and excitement was rising because of the party we were planning. Everyone departed from school. Aqua, Karma and Razor went home with me like always, and Dylan and Ella asked if they could hang at my place. I said sure, and invited Max, Nick, and Jeff to come along as well. Jeff said fine, but Max and Nick said they were going to get their younger adopted siblings and check in with Ella's mother.

"Sweetie, how was sc-" my mom started, walking into the entry room with a towel in her hands and chocolate and flour smeared on her apron. "Who's this?" she asked with a smile, looking at Jeff and Dylan.

"Some new kids at school," I said. "This is Jeff, and this is Dylan." I motioned to each of them respectively. "There are two others but they are hanging with Ellas mom."

"Nice to see you again, Ella," my mom smiled as her attention turned to Ella. "I have some cookies, chocolate chocolate chip. They should be done in a few minutes."

"Thanks mom," I smiled and walked past her into the kitchen. Gotta love moms (especially when they make you cookies).

* * *

I grabbed a big log and tried to life it to throw it on the bonfire. Struggling with it, after a few moments Dylan came up to help. I smiled at him, and he handed me a glass of punch in response. I smiled and punched him lightly.

"What was that for?" he asked, sounding as though he genuinely afraid he had done something wrong. I smirked.

"A punch for a punch," I responded with a quirky smile. "Take it as a Thank-You."

"Ah, k," he said. We wandered a bit away from the fire, and I sat down on a fallen tree. Dylan sat beside me, and we sat next to each other in comfortable silence for a while. I looked up at the sky.

"When I was small, my big brother used to take me here and show me constellations," I said, to fill the silence.

"Really?" Dylan asked, looking over at me. "Show me one?" I smiled, and pointed to three stars in a row.

"That's Orion's belt. That star there is supposed to be his head, and that one there's his feet," I said. I let my arm fall back into my lap.

"I don't remember things like that from when I was little," he said. I could tell he wasn't telling me the truth, though perhaps half of it. The summer air wrapped around me, and I took a deep breath. I put my head on his shoulder, and at the new angle I could see something I hadn't noticed before. A pocket in the woods, a path. Never noticed that before. And along the side of the path... the left side... was a creek. I got up, and walked over to it. It was just like the one in my dream. Dylan followed me over, and caught the other's eye. They came over to see what we were looking at.

"I'm just going to go exploring," I said, curiosity kindling inside me. I walked down the path, and heard their responding foot steps. I looked back over my shoulder, and arched an eyebrow. "You don't have to follow me, you know."

"You're the only one we know here. There's no point in staying just because," Jeff said with a shrug. I shrugged in response, and walked on. They followed.

The path opened into a large clearing, and in the clearing was a little cottage. The door was open, and the windows were broken. But it wasn't as deteriorated as if it was abandoned. I neared, and a loud sound came from inside. I jumped slightly, but then crept forth to seek out the source of the noise. A falcon flapped around on the table (just like the one from my dream). A noise - the falcon's voice - entered my mind.

_It took you long enough, Alix!_


	16. Chapter 16

I tried not to show signs of hearing the voice of the falcon. After all, I never have before: though, granted, this is only perhaps the third time it has happened. I couldn't help but shiver: so eerie, this happening the night after my dream. I put out my arm and made some quiet clicking sounds, calling the bird.

_I'm not a dog, Alix._ But he flew to my arm anyway. I covered a grimace as his talons pierced my flesh. I heard little gasps and murmurs from those standing behind me.

_How do you know my name, bird?_

_I am Eld, Alix! Don't you remember me?_

_..._

_I guess not. I mean, I only spent my whole life with you! Why SHOULD you remember me?_

_..._

_You honestly don't remember me?_

_... No..._

I could swear I heard him sigh mentally. Then something clicked.

_Oh, in a dream I had last night there was a falcon! Named Eld, too. _

_Dream... perhaps it was. _The falcon tilted his head.

_You should leave me for now until... I get things sorted out. _I said. He bobbed his head, and took flight. He flew out through one of the windows and escaped into the night.

"... Alix?" Dylan asked quietly. "What was that?"

"Just a falcon," I said calmly. "Shall we return to the party?" I asked, turning to face the others. They were all staring at me: Nick, Jeff, Max, Dylan, Ella, Aqua, Razor, Karma... I began to feel outnumbered and stifled, so I pushed my way through them and out back into the woods. I rubbed my upper arms, an odd sense of fear bubbling in the pit of my stomach. What was this... the cabin? What was the bird doing? What... what was going on? I shivered a bit from the thoughts.

We walked back through the trees, the others silent. After a while, something began to feel off. Everything was ridiculously quiet. Where were the animals? Somewhere, A linx screamed. It screamed again, closer, and then streaked across the path and to the other side of the woods right in front of me. I looked to see what might be following it, chasing it, perhaps... there was nothing. Just shadows.

"I think... I think I want to go home," I said quietly. "You guys can stay, but I'm heading back..." I let my sentence trail off into the shadows.

"We can go for a ride," Dylan said, smiling at me.

I arched an eyebrow. "You have a car? No, scratch that- you have a licence?"

"Never said that," he grinned.

* * *

I sat in the passenger seat, as Dylan drove us down a diserted road. He had borrowed Dr. Martinez' car. For all he didn't have a licence, he was a descent driver.

We sat together, talking and laughing. I watched him, how his eyes twinkled when he laughed and how he grinned with no restraint. He laughed freely, smiled always, and he didn't swerve on the road once.

Eventually, it came to an end, and he dropped me off at my house. I smiled, and waved as he turned to drive down the road to the driveway at the end going to Dr. Martinez' house. I waved until I couldn't see his headlights, and with a smile on my face I went up my steps and opened the door. The clock I saw read 10:14PM, and my mother was waiting with her arms crossed. I moaned inwardly.

"Young lady, where have you been?" she said. She tried to sound stern, but I could tell she wouldn't last long.

"For a drive," I said.

"But you can't drive yet," she said, frowning a bit. "You don't turn 16 until two weeks from now."

"Someone else was driving," I said, and a huge grin plastered itself on my face.

"Who?" She asked. "Aqua, Karma and Razor are all younger than you by at least a week."

"I know," I said, skipping lighting past her into the kitchen to nibble on a leftover cookie from earlier that day.

"Then... who?" she asked again.

"A new friend," I said. I frowned lightly at my wording. "I think."

"Was it one of those boys you brought over this afternoon?" she asked. She tried to keep a stern face, but failed miserably. "I'm glad you're making new friends."

"Love you, mom. And, for the record, I was only 14 minutes late," I said. She rolled her eyes, hugged me, and ushered me upstairs.

* * *

A month passed like that. I invited them over on my birthday for cake (home-made. Yum!) and met their younger siblings, and I went over there to hang out with them when they threw a birthday party for Angel, the youngest. Whenever we decided to make camp-fires in the woods, Angel would sit on my lap and have me tell her a story. The leaves began to change colors when October swung around, and Dylan and I spent more and more time together walking in the woods.

"You know," Dylan said on one of our walks. "It's been over a month since we've moved here, and you're still one of the only people from here I know."

"Would you like that to change?" I asked, looking up at him. "I could introduce you to more people."

"No, no," he said with a smile. "I like this just fine." I turned my head away a bit.

"The leaves look beautiful, don't they?" I asked, changing the subject. I reached out and caught a falling crimson leaf.

"Sure," he said. He turned so I faced him. "But I see something more beautiful." I blushed, and he just smiled. "No comment?"

"If I comment, it might ruin the moment," I said. "I might even wake up."

"Are you so sure you're dreaming?" he asked me lightly.

"You wouldn't be this sweet in real life," I said with a smirk.

"Well... are you dreaming I'm about to kiss you?" he asked. I turned my head away a tad. "You know," he said. "I think I love you." And then something clicked inside of me. _I think I love you too, Dylan... I think I love you too. _He bent his neck and kissed me lightly on the lips. Then, hand in hand, we walked back through the path back to Dr. Martinez' house.

_I love you too. _


	17. Authors note by a PO'ed Author

Hey dudes, yeah this is an authors note. And it's saying... I refuse to update. I am going on a strike. I am not updating until I get at least ONE review on chapter 16, or the ones before it. Capichee? I will delete this when I get a review and update to the next chapter. Until then, no way am I updating here! 


	18. Chapter 17

**K, I got a review. I need at least ONE REVIEW before proceeding to the next chappie. K?**

It was winter now, and Dylan and I had been dating for 2 months. Nick, and the girl Max had been dating (which I thought was weird. Hello, they said they were adopted siblings?) Iggy had fallen for Aqua, and Karma and Razor practically had hearts floating around their heads. Tonight was out 2 month anniversary: October 15th was our first date, and now it was December.

Normal girls would wear a dress I know... But ew, no, please, spare me. I grabbed a pair of black jeans and a fancy shirt. I changed quickly, looked at the makeup by my moms sink for a moment... Then crinkled my nose in disgust and walked away. The bell wrang even as I was going down the stairs.

"I got it!" I called, opening the door.

My face made level with his biceps. I looked up and saw his face, a full blown smile on it as he looked down at me. Clearly his version of "dressing nice" was jeans and a leather jacket. I rolled my eyes, and he reached out to hook his arm in mine, turning me out of the door and to the driveway.

"Have her home by ten, or your head will be on my wall!" My dad yelled. I could tell he tried to be serious... But I could hear him practically giggling as I closed the door.

I walked down the side walk with my arm hooked through Dylans, snowflakes swirling around us as our we left foot prints in the crisp white snow. He opened the passenger side door, and made an overly dramatic gesture. "Madam."

"Why thank you, sir," I said, smirking as I slid into the seat and he closed the door. He was just walking around the car when he paused. His brows knitted, and he tilted his head as though listening. A man in a heavy black coat stepped out of the shadows. Something about his posture made my neck prickle, and fear crept into my mind. The man and Dylan exchanged a few harsh words, and then he melted into the darkness again. Dylan, teeth gritted, got into the car.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"An old... Acquaintance. None to worry about," he said. I sighed, but didn't pursue the matter. It had been like this for a while... Random people would show up, talk to him, and then leave. Since... The beginning of December. I had learned not to even bother trying to make him tell me... He wouldn't. And I didn't want to ruin tonight wig questions I might not like the answer to.

He turned the key, and the engine roared to life. In a comfortable silence, we drove to the local steak house. In the parking lot, he got out and opened the door for me. As I was getting out, yet another person came out of the shadows, fear running into my blood. They exchanged a few more words, and then the other man melted into the darkness.

I took in a shaky breath. I couldn't deal with this happening and him not telling me! "Who are those people, Dylan?" I asked.

"Nothing to worry about," he said, grabbing my arm and trying to pull me towards the restaurant. I yanked my arm free.

"No, Dylan," I said. "Tell me."

"Just... on, Alix!"

"Tell me," I said.

"Theyre only people, come on Alix."

"I'll give you till the count of three."

"Alix..."

"one."

"I love you, Alix. Come on," he said, reaching for me.

"Two."

"Alix!"

"Three."

"Our reservations were for five minutes ago... Come on."

"No. You know what Dylan? I can't do this anymore. Good bye," I said. I turned and walked from him, and he reached out to grab me.

"Alix, don't," he said.

"Then tell me!"

"I can't," he said. He sounded broken, but I refused to turn to look at him.

"Then I can't love you," I said. I broke free and walked away. He didn't try to stop me.

Tears clouded my eyes, making everything look broken.

Even the snowflakes.


	19. Chapter 18 & 19

**YAY I got not one, but TWO reviews! OMG I am gonna like have a spaz. :D Anywho, I'll update with ONE review... but TWO will make me seriously happy. :D**

**(And as a specialty, I'm putting TWO Chapters here. As reward for commend and... Because that authors note made it off, and I will seriously have an OCD spaz if I don't get it back on track.)**

* * *

As much as I'm embarrassed to admit, my heart broke into about fifty pieces over Dylan. I moped around for a week, even when his birthday came I didn't call him. On Christmas day, the bell rang. When I went down stairs, and opened the door, something was waiting for me. In the snow was a polished guitar, with a single red rose laying across the strings and a necklace on a thin silver chain with little wings hanging from it. By the flower was an unsigned note. It didn't matter... I knew who it was from.

**_Merry Christmas, Alix._**

**_I miss you._**

That right there was enough to put me in tears. I quietly picked up the rose and smelled it, and put the necklace around my throat. Then I lifted the guitar, and sat on the steps quietly. I strummed each string once, listening to the clear clean sounds bounce around the neighbourhood. I reached back to a year ago when I had last played, and my fingers sought out the proper places for G. I strummed quietly, then my fingers automatically moved to Dm. I recognised the song I had started to play, and forced my fingers to stop. _  
_

then, I changed my mind. Aw what the heck? Why not? I strummed out the intro chords, using the pad of my thumb to make sure it wasn't too loud. I even got into the music enough to sing a bit.

"When I was younger I saw... My daddy cry... And curse at the wind. He broke his own heart and I watched... As he tried to reassemble it. And my mama swore that she would never let herself forget... And that was the day that I promised never to sing of love, if it does not exist. But darlin... You are, the only exception. You are... The only exception. You are the only exception. You are... The only exception." I took a deep breath and strummed a couple more chords. The next verse hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Maybe I know somewhere, deep in my soul, that love never lasts. And we've got to find other ways, to make it alone... And keep a straight face. And I've always lived like this, keepin a comfortable... Distance. And up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm content with loneliness. Cuz none of it was ever worth the Risk and well darlin you are the only exception... You are the only exception... You are the only exception..." I continued singing and strumming and a new bought of snow flurried from the trees. The snowflakes were still broken to my eyes with fresh tears as the song hit me like a freaking bowling ball. But it shouldn't have... Because clearly, he wasn't the only exception if he couldn't even be straight with me.

I strummed the ending G and sat quietly then, the guitar warmed to my hands and the strings gleaming a brilliant gold. The rose lay across my lap, and as I watched the blood red color paled to a pink and then to a white so clean, crisp, and unblemished that I couldn't help but stare. "Pretty. Flawless..." I said. Then, finally, "I wonder how he did that."

Snow swirled and on the guitar I now had laying flat on my lap, snowflakes fell to spell out...

_**Magic. Like You.**_

I smiled softly as the snow melted under the brush of my hand, and painfully remembered my dream. The heat in my hands. The fire when I fell. I gasped, remembering how Dylan had caught me and held me close. Then my breath returned, accompanied by fresh tears as I remembered it was merely a dream. I got up, turned with guitar and rose in hand, and looked down at my necklace.I noticed a thin line along the sides of the wings, and recognized it as an amulet. Single-handedly (because my guitar and rose were in the other) I opened the locket. Inside was a little picture of a white rose. I folded the little note he had written to me and held it to my face. It smelled like him (yes I know that sounds weird). It smelled like spring and warmth and fresh air, of promises and love. Unable to take it, I placed it quietly in the locket and closed it. I turned and walked inside.

"What were you doing for so long- oh. Who's that from? It's a pretty flower, and the guitar looks nice," my mother said.

"I don't know," I lied through my teeth. "It wasn't signed."

"Oh," she said, seeing through me to exactly what I had meant. She kindly dropped the subject, and we went on to enjoy our not until my heart broke all over again, and I dropped the rose. And I left it there to die.

* * *

**Interlude: **While Alix was moping alone, something else was going on with the flock. Conversation had arisen (Can you guess you started it? Oh, the motor mouth in the corner maybe? Good guess!) about a dream they all seemed to have shared. In said dream, Fang had a twin sister who's name was Alix and just so happened to be the same Alix that Dylan had broken up with. Nudge then hacked through a system via the laptop they had stolen from a lab a long time ago, and found evidence that Fang did indeed have a twin sister and that that twin sister was indeed Alix. After the initial shock, Fang was furious. And he had more reason to hate Dylan. Not only for taking Max a while ago, for his "perfection", but now also for breaking his sister's heart. And in the fury he left Dr. Martinez' house, and set up camp in the abandoned cabin in the woods they had found the night of the bon fire.

In the cabin he found a secret cabinet, in which was a leather journal. It was filled with neat curling script and beautifully painted pictures, and each and every entry was signed with the name **_Alix _**in the same curling font he had come to know as Alix's. He understood full well it was like a diary, and he shouldn't read it. So what did he obviously do?

He read every last word.

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Days floated past and soon it was spring time, or close. The air wasn't bitter and a touch of warmth held the air. Granted it was early, but what do you expect? We're right next to Texas! I sat on my porch watching the flowers with my ipod in hand, listening with my guitar across my lap as I tuned it. I had it set up so that when it ran out of songs it would switch automatically over to radio, and when it did it was obvious.

The song wasn't normally something I would listen to. No Paramore, no Wreckers... a country song, of all things.

"I'm so glad... you made time to see me. How's life, tell me how's your family? I haven't seen them in a whi-i-i-ile. You've been good, busier than ever. Small talk, work and the weather. Your guard is up, and I know why-y-y-y. Cuz the last time, ya saw me is still burned in the back of your mind..." I bit my lip, knowing I should change the station before the song got to me. But I didn't.

"You gave me roses, and I left them there to die," Taylor Swift's voice came from my ear buds. I bit my lip, bitterly remembering the white rose.

"So this is me swallowin' my pride standin' in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night... and I go back to December all the time. Turns out freedom ain't nothin but missin you wishin' I realized what I had when you were mine... I go back to December, turn around and make it alright. Yeah I go back to December all the time." I could feel my heart starting to break all over again.

"These days I haven't been sleeping... Staying up playing back myself leaving... When your birthday passed and I didn't call. Then I think about summer, all the beautiful times... I watched you laughing from the passenger side... And realized I loved you in the fall... And then the cold came, the dark days... When fear crept into my mind. You gave me all your love And all I gave you was goodbye." My eyes started to water, and I moved to change the station again but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Look at me, a mess. Valentine's day with a broken heart! And to think I might have gotten over him.

"So this is me swallowin' my pride standin' in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night... and I go back to December all the time. Turns out freedom ain't nothin but missin you wishin' I realized what I had when you were mine... I go back to December, turn around and change my own mind...  
Yeah I go back to December all the time. " Images flooded my mind, remembering my own December night when I walked away from him. Remembering the days before then, when he held me in his arms. When he smiled and laughed and we walked together, and my heart kept breaking into millions of tiny shards.

"I miss your tan skin and your sweet smile  
So good to me, so right  
And how you held me in your arms that September night  
The first time you ever saw me cry  
Maybe this is wishful thinking  
Probably mindless dreaming  
But if we loved again, I swear I'd love you right  
I'd go back in time and change it, but I can't  
So if the chain is on your door, I understand...

But this is me swallowing my pride  
Standing in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night  
And I go back to December  
It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you  
Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine  
I go back to December, turn around and make it alright  
I go back to December, turn around and change my own mind  
I go back to December all the time  
All the time."

The song ended with me thoroughly ruined and in tears. Remembering falling in love, laughing with him the night of the bon fire, the smile that made the night bright. Wishing I could go back to December and stop myself from leaving. And knowing I can't.

Then, an idea hit me like a ton of bricks. I bit my lip and jumped to my feet, guitar in hand, and ran inside to the computer. I thought about the song and tried to come up with a name. "I go back to december." I typed it into the search bar, and a song popped up under the name of "Back to December by Taylor Swift." I quickly changed the search, to plug in "Back to December by Taylor Swift guitar tab." Immediately one popped up. I strummed the first few chords in 4 time, and it sounded right if not a bit deep. I pulled my capo from my pocket and put it on the second fret, and strummed it all out. I printed the tab and grabbed it from my computer.

I sat on the porch, practising it and pulling up the song on YouTube to listen to to get it right.

After an hour I had the song down, and it was about 3 in the afternoon. Holding my guitar and the tab, with a pick and armed with nothing but a song, I went down the street to Ella's house, squashing my pride the whole way.

Ah... hope this works.


	20. Chapter 20

**I broke down. I'm putting one with no reviews.**

**BUT ONLY because I'm posting this same story on WO and I'm starting chapter 23 there.**

**If I don't get a review on this chapter I'm just going to quit updating here until I get one. **

* * *

Peeking through tree branches, I looked out at Ella's house. Everyone was outside, except for Dylan and Nick. I grumbled quietly to myself, my job just that much harder. I snuck around the peremiter of the yard, unnoticed. I crept up to the bushes under the kitchen window, which was open to the spring air. Inside I could hear a boom box going and people moving around probably making snacks. I stood on my tip toes to look through the windows, and saw Dylan inside alone putting together a cheese tray with crackers. I reached out a hand and deftly changed the station to the one my ipod had been on, and then ducked so as not to be noticed.

Luck was with me. The song was playing, again... In fact after a few moments of talking by the station people, the song started fresh. I started strumming my guitar with it, the tab on the ground in front of me. I could hear him pause and after hearing the first few lines, he cursed to himself.

Obviously, he didn't like the memories either.

He turned the boom box off, and I could hear his hesitation as the song didn't end. He clicked the button again, and it still didn't end. He ripped out the batteries, and still it didn't end. I took a deep breath as a solo part ended, and began singing.

He thrust his head out the window and looked around, but he didn't think to look down. I started on the ending chorus and his eyes finally found me. I stood slowly, and faced him squarely.

"So this is me swallowing my pride standing in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night," I sang softly. I sang the rest of the ending chorus and strummed the ending chord gently, and stopped. "So this is me swallowing my pride, standing in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night," I spoke the words. Silence filled the air between us as I waited for his response.

"I missed you Alix..." he said quietly. "But something has come up... I hope you know we can't get back together." he sat on the counter and spun his legs over it and out the window, jumping out to land in front of me. Not that it made much difference, I was still looking up at him anyway.

"What came up?" I asked, trying to hide my disappointment.

"Something I can't tell you," he said.

"Always something you can't tell me," I said bitterly, resentment flaring. "You know what, never mind Dylan. You didn't change... I don't know why I bothered. Don't know why I hoped maybe I was over reacting. You still won't tell me anything." I turned to walk away, the guitar he had given me clutched tightly in my hand.

"Alix, that's not true. There are some things I will tell you," he said, reaching out to put a hand on my shoulder. I spun to face him.

"Like what, then?" I snapped.

"Like I still love you," he didn't hesitate to say it. I looked up at him.

"Then prove it," I said softly. "Tell me what you have been hiding from me. Tell me... Tell me why we can't get back together."

"Because of your brother," he said in a rush. He blinked, as if he hadn't expected himself to say that. I stared at him, startled. I only had one brother, my little brother.

"Why would my little brother stop us from being together?" I asked.

"Not your little brother," he said, caving in. "Your other brother."

"Uh... Dylan? Are you insane?" I asked. "I only have the one brother. You know that."

"You have another brother, Alix. A twin..." he said.

"Um, I think I would know if I had a twin brother." I said irritably. Then I remembered the dream I had had several months ago, where Nick/Fang was my twin brother. Maybe I wouldn't know.

"F-... Nick... Is your twin brother," he said. My eyes began to widen.

"You weren't about to say... Fang... By any chance, were you?" I asked. His expression became startled.

"How do you know that name?" he asked.

"Its from a dream I had..." I shrugged.

"You had the dream too?" he asked.

"What do you mean, too?" I responded. He ignored my question and dragged me around to the front of the house, where everyone else was.

"Hey Dylan, where's the snack tray- oh, uh, hi Alix," Ella said.

"She had the dream too," Dylan announced loudly.

"What do you MEAN, Dylan?" I said impatiently.

"Alix, what were all their names in your dream?" he asked.

"Uh... Max," I said, pointing to Max. I pointed to arch in turn as I said their names. "Iggy... Gazzy... Angel... Nudge... Why?"

All their faces paled. "Were we... Ah, different... In your dream?" Dylan asked.

"like... How?" I asked, absolutely confused as to whatever this dream might have meant.

"Like... Um, extra limbs by any chance?" he asked.

"Um... You had wings," I said. They began mumbling amongst themselves. Then Angel stepped forth. She took off the hood she was wearing, and spread little white wings.

"Like these?" she asked. I was so startled, my knees buckled and I sat down abruptly.

"Uh... Yeah," I said.

"Can you do anything special?" Angel asked. "Like... Talk to animals?" I just about had a spaz.

"Who told you," I hissed through my teeth, looking around at them from my spot on the ground.

"No one, Alix... It was in my dream," she said. "The same dream you had."

And... Right about then was when massive furry things - the Erasers from my dream - broke onto the lawn and everything grew dark.


	21. Chapter 21

**Yay I got a review already! Clap clap clap! And this is already written, along with the next chapter and I'm still working on chapter 23: I'll release those whenever y'all review. Just 1 review: it's not much to ask. 3**

* * *

"I thought these idiots were dead for good!" Max yelled, promptly kicking an Eraser square in the jaw. I crouched low, holding my fists in front of me. I backed up until I found something against my back: Dylan.

"Back to back," Dylan said, quickly spinning and bracing his back against mine. He soon became preoccupied and took a couple steps from me. An Eraser, a nasty ugly looking thing with it's teeth all yellow and gaping, saliva dripping, and hauntingly human eyes, launched itself at me. I took half a step to the left, and as he flew by me kicked my leg up so he flew straight into my foot. Using his momentum, and keeping my foot hooked on him so he spun in a circle, sent him flying back the way he came smack into another Eraser. Both went down.

Another came at me, smarter this time... on the ground. I side stepped him, and he reached around to grab me as I tucked and twirled out of his reach. He reached his hands for my throat and I caught them, twisting them out to either side then launching my foot out behind his knee, knocking him to the ground. I went on top of him, spamming my forearm against his wind pipe and effectively crushing it.

Another one came at me and I rolled off the suffocating other Eraser, to get into a low crouch and spin lowly knocking the new Eraser to the ground to my left. I grasped my left fist in my right hand, bracing it, and slammed my elbow into his temple. I heard his skull crack. Another leapt ontop of me while I was on the ground, squarely on top of me. He pinned my arms above my head and grinned. I grinned back, bringing up my knee into his crotch. He yelped and loosened his grip. Using my legs I kicked him over my head, and clutched his skull between my palms. A swift clean motion snapped his neck.

Two came at me now, one from either side. I rolled in a backwards summersault, coming into a hand stand. I brought each of my feet out to their respective sides, kicking each Eraser in the chest. I finished my handstand by coming down in a back hand spring, landing on the Eraser's who's neck I had broken. Using his chest as a vantage point and a spot to give me some extra height, I struck out roundhouse punches and kicks, dodging anything they threw at me.

Until one came up behind me. He wrapped his arms around my body, folding my arms to my sides and effectively covering my torso. He angled my body so I couldn't reach to kick him, and his arms were just out of reach of my teeth. I squirmed.

"Got you now, girlie," he whispered in my ear. I smirked.

"You wish," I responded. Judging from where his voice was, I located his head and slammed my head back into his face. His grip loosened enough for my feet to come within kicking distance of his knees, and I knocked them easily out from under him. I landed on top of him and his arms loosened enough for me to plant a firm elbow over the left side of his chest, shocking his heart into stopping as well as breaking a rib.

I picked myself up and let out a quiet gasp. His grip had bruised my ribs, making it hard to breathe. I ignored it.

"Stop where you are, girl," a voice said from behind me. I turned quickly and saw a gun trained so the barrel went straight between my eyes. I tensed and assesed my options. I could try to kick his legs from under him, but then even from the ground he could shoot me. I could try to twist the gun from him, but I knew I wasn't nearly as strong as him. Men have much stronger upper body strength than girls, particularly small 5' tall girls vs fully grown 6'2 men. Girl's had much stronger legs though, however I could not kick high enough to knock the gun from his hands. If I ducked and tried to ram him, he could very well be faster than me.

I gritted my teeth, refusing defeat. I decided I had one option. I brought my hand up in a karate chop, hitting his wrist, turning so my back was to him so I could do a hand stand to kick him in the chest. But he didn't drop the gun, rather his hand came up and caught my asaulting hand and used my already going spin to pull me close to him so I was facing away and my arms and his were tangled, effectively holding me still. His gun was still on me.

"You shouldn't have done that," he said. He locked the gun on my stomach, and pulled the trigger. There wasn't a bullet though... when he pulled the gun away, there was little but a red feathered dart. I frowned, and then my vision grew fuzzy. I weakly struck out with my leg, but didn't succeed in anything other than him dropping me to the ground. I couldn't get up. My head began to pound and my vision tunnled. My last waking thought was something along the lines of:

_Damn sedatives._ **  
**


	22. Chapter 22

**Yay I got a review already! Clap clap clap! I have everything written up to Chapter 24, so it's all just whenever y'all review. 3  
**

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I woke with my eyes closed and a massive, pounding headache. I took a deep breath and felt with my fingers where I was. Under my fingers there was metal. Cold hard metal.

In a panic, my eyes flew open to see a metal sheet above me as well, and all around me there were bars.

_No. No no no no no. No!_ I thought, panicked, _Another dog cage._ I clinched my fists and sat up. I was perhaps 12 feet off the ground, my cage ontop of three other dog cages all four feet tall, putitng the base of mine at roughly 12 feet and the top at around 16. In the cage directly ro my right was Dylan, to my left there was Jeff (Or should I say Iggy?), and below me I could see a small pale hand lolling out of the cage: Angel. The cages were set up in a circle with one large gap through which I could see double doors.

Then I turned my eyes to the floor in the middle of the room. Other than the cages around the walls, the floor was entirely bare and empty. Except for a single metal chair, on which sat a single Asian man who had a single white lab coat on and held one clip board. On the clipboard was a file. And paper clipped to the front was my face, printed out on shiny photo paper.

"We gave you a second shot," he said irritably. I frowned. His voice was familiar.

"What on earth are you talking about?" I asked. I tried to keep my voice firm, but much to my distaste it wavered, if only a little.

"Ah girl! Use your brain!" he snapped. "Your 'DREAM', remember?"

"Oh," I said softly, thinking back to how Dylan and the others had been talking about a dream. About how Angel had wings.

"We took your memory, and we replaced it with memories of a normal life. And you just went and threw it all away! We tried, Alix! What else can you expect of us?"

"To not bar me up in a dog crate a story off the ground?" I tried. He sneered.

"But now you know Alix, and we can't try it again without you knowing, now can we?" he grumbled. I didn't respond. "Enjoy your stay," he said snidely. He stood and left the room.

Then I could place who he was.

The scientist from my dream.


	23. Chapter 23, Snow Flower

**I'm updating anyway only because I already finished this story on Max-Dan-Wiz. But review, please!  
**

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I sat in my cage, contemplating what the scientist had said. Going over my dream, I thought of what my set of memories then had been. Remembering all the secrets I had had. Remembering... that I had no family. So was my mother not my mother? Was my father... not my father? And was my little brother, little Jacob... not my little brother at all? And was Fang then ACTUALLY my twin?

I felt all broken up inside.

And Aqua, Karma, Razor? What about them? Did this mean Aqua was back to square one, with no memory of who she really is?

And the worst part? _It was all my fault._

If I hadn't been there, they wouldn't have been put into this situation. No fake memories. No problems in their lives. Aqua wouldn't have to deal with the pain of having the only thing she's ever known be ripped away from her, not knowing who she is. Who she was. What she is. What she was. At least everyone else knew.

I clenched my hand at the neck of my shirt, tangling my fingers into the cloth and biting my lip.

A groan came from Dylan's cage. He sat up groggily, rubbing his head.

"Alix?" he asked, pushing himself the rest of the way upright.

"I'm here," I said quietly. He looked over at me. "What happened after I went out?"

"You were the second to go down," he said, scrunching the flesh between his brows in concentration. "Gazzy was first. He let loose a stink bomb so bad he passed out... along with the Erasers within a 20 foot radius. Then you were shot. When I tried to go to you, they fought me. If I remember correctly, I was 4th down... Nudge was third, then Angel, then Fang, then Max. I wasn't knocked out until we were put in the van though."

"Wow," I mumbled quietly.

"They broke your guitar," he said. I looked at him sharply, noting the pain in his tone. My hand instinctively went up to hold my locket.

"So now all I have is the necklace," I said. "The only thing in the world."

"You still have your family and your home and everything else, Alix," he said with a frown.

"No," I said softly. "I don't. The dream, Dylan? It was real. This world we've been living is a lie. The only thing in the world that is really mine... is this necklace." I showed him the little locket.

"Not true," he responded in a tone equally soft. "You have me." He closed his fist, and opened it. In his palm was a single, perfect, blood red rose. He reached through the bars as I reached my hand through, and he placed it in my hand. The red faded away into a flawless snow write bloom.

"Beautiful," I said with a smile. "I wonder how he did that?"

"Magic," he said with a matching smile. "Just like you."


	24. Chapter 24, Bones Mend Hearts Don't

**Thanks for the one review! I'd be seriously estatic if TWO people could review this time! :D**

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They began to wake. Soon, everyone was sitting silently in their cages.

"I'm sorry," I said, just loud enough for them to hear. Dylan looked over at me sharply.

"For?" he asked, an eyebrow arched.

"For ruining everything for you guys," I said quietly. "The first time, you all came to my rescue and got hurt. I brought you into this. If I wasn't here, you guys would still be soaring the skies. And then they gave us a second chance, and I messed it up. I let my tongue slip, and it brought Erasers down on all our heads. I'm sorry."

"No, Alix!" Dylan said, aghast. "It wasn't you!"

"Yes, it was. And now you're all scratched up by Eraser claws," I said. I gestured to a large cut over one of his eyes.

"What's up with that anyway?" Max asked. "I thought the Erasers were terminated."

"Ditto," Karma said from her cage. I sighed inwardly. My attempt at apology was totally just overlooked.

"Well, you don't have to worry about bars much longer," I muttered under my breath, for them not to hear. Because I had a plan. No one heard my words.

_What do you mean, Alix?_ Angel's voice filled my head.

_Nothing, Ange. Don't worry yourself about it._

The doors glided open, and the Asian scientist entered with nine Erasers, and a young man hardly older than me. I assumed the boy must be an apprentice. He looked importantly down his nose at his clipboard, then looked up.

"We'll be taking Maximum, Aqua, Razor, and Angel first. Prepare the shots for them, and make sure the labs are ready for them," he said. His eyes fixed on Angel's cage. "Make sure there's an extra shot for the little tyke." My heart just about fell apart. No, no no. Not little Ange. And especially not because of me.

"Wait," I said, my voice cracking. He looked up at me, a satisfied smirk in his eyes.

He'd been expecting this.

He'd been wanting this.

"Don't," I said. "Leave them be. This isn't their fight, it's me. You know it. They're here because I messed up. Don't hurt them because of me."

"Ah," he said with a smirk now on his mouth. "But why would I ever do something like that? I believe we'd be on the losing end of a deal like that. _You_ brought them here for us!" He stressed the YOU just to make my heart break.

"Then... me. Just me. I won't fight you, you can have me. My life. My life, in exchange for their freedom. All of them," I said, trying to make my voice strong.

Dylan stared at me, his mouth working. No sound escaped his mouth.

The scientist grinned. "So be it." He turned to the Erasers. "Unbolt their cages and escort them out of the building. Kill the girl with this," he handed a syringe to the apprentice. "Then bring her to lab 241. I believe it's time we dissected one of these mutants, and discovered what makes them really tick."

"No!" Dylan's mouth finally made noise. I looked at him, a sad smile on my face.

"Don't worry," I said quietly.

"No, Alix!" he said, his lip trembling. "I just got you back. Don't leave me again."

"Alix," Fang's voice came from below me. Threatened. "If you do this, I will bring you back just to kill you myself."

"I'm sorry," I told them. "It's done. I gave my word. And I couldn't bear to watch you hurt, or even killed, on my behalf It would break my heart. Break my bones... they mend. My heart won't."

The Erasers surged forwards, and unlocked their cages. Each of them dragged one of the others from their cage, and out the door.

"ALIX!" Dylan screamed, followed by Fang's:

"TOUCH MY SISTER AND I'LL KICK ALL YOUR ASSES." Which was followed by Iggy's:

"I WILL BLOW THIS DANG JOINT OFF ITS HINGES SO HELP ME GODS..." and then they were gone. The scientist grinned at me, then followed them out. The boy looked at me, nervous. He fumbled with the syringe, trying to get a good hold of it. He climbed a ladder up to my cage, and he did something queer with the syringe. I didn't get a good look. He opened the cage testily, and I handed him my wrist in a fake calm.

He made brief eye contact, and told me only two words. "Don't worry."

He plunged the needle into my arm and pushed the stopper down before I could react. I gasped, and my world began to fuzz in moments. My vision tunneled, and my chest ached. My lungs didn't work anymore, and I tried to breathe in and got nothing. My pulse pounded behind my eyes, growing weaker. My vision blacked completely, and my pulse stopped.

_Goodbye world._


	25. Chapter 25, Gone

Fang's POV:

They pushed us out of the building, and into the yard infront of the lab. The Eraser fixed me with a stearn eye, and waited for me to leave the grounds.

Pah.

Like I would leave without my sister. I balled my hand into a fist, and shot it at his face. He caught it easily and tossed it aside.

"Your twin is dead," he said stonily.

"No, she isn't," I denied fiercely. "No one can kill Alix."

"Alix!" Dylan yelled, furiously beating on the Eraser that held him. Max struggled and kicked, cursing under her breath about how the Erasers must be new and improved.

My vision was red with anger. I couldn't figure out why I wasn't scared.

Then it hit. It really set in. _Alix is gone. My sister is gone. My twin is gone. The other side of my coin... is gone._ It hurt. I couldn't deal with it. Mr. Rock couldn't deal with the pain. _No. Alix is NOT gone! No! I WILL get her back!_ I couldn't lose her. I'd lost her once. I'd found her. I'd lost her... and I found her. This is the LAST time I will ever lose my sister, and it will not be because she's dead.

I'll take care of her.

I have to.

Someone has to take care of one of us.

Our parents left us, isn't that bad enough? No, it's not good enough for them.

They have to make me lose the one thing I had left. I had Max, but did I really anymore? Now that Dylan was available... I flinched away from the thought.

"Alix," Aqua said, shocked and stunned. It began to sink in for her too, an I watched pain begin to etch itself in her face. Iggy wrapped his arms around her, and she turned her face into his shoulder. Karma sat absolutely stunned in the grass. I would have thought her unconscious, if not for the muscle ticking in her jaw and her hands clinched around the grass so hard her knuckles were white.

The boy who had been with the whitecoat walked through the doors behind the Eraser. He held out his fist, and opened it. In his palm was a tiny little necklace.

Dylan stared at it, numb. It was a winged locket.

"I... I gave that to her for Christmas," he said, shocked. "She would never have handed it to anyone." He picked up the chain. It was unbroken. "It wasn't ripped form her. She gave it... or someone took it when she couldn't do anything." He smiled sadly. I finished his sentence.

"She wouldn't be unable of doing anything unless she was dead," I said. I felt my poker face wavering.

"She's dead," the boy said. Something in his expression wasn't right; I couldn't place it quite then. I was much to angry. I started throwing punches at the boy. The Erasers dragged me away. The boy went back through the door. The Erasers followed him before I could make it, and they sealed the doors away.

I banged on the doors until my fists were bloody. When I stopped because I could do it no longer, I thought in my grief one thought.

_I will revenge her. I will kill them all._

__


	26. Chapter 26, Shadows Revenge

**Yay, reviews! This is the last chapter, but there'll be an epilogue. On the epilogue, I will give you guys the same deal I gave people on MDW, though maybe I'll be lighter on you guys. **

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Fang's POV:

I spent hours with Iggy and Dylan, planning a way into the lab. Finally, we decided it was pointless. Let's just blow a hole through the wall. Iggy and Gazzy spent another hour building a bomb out of an apple, an old pipe, a rusty old pocket knife, and a shoelace.

We hooked it up to the wall, and went to duck and cover. I couldn't think straight and was blinded with absolute, rigid furry. I didn't know what I would do once I got in, only that I had to get in.

I had to revenge her.

Iggy handed me the remote in silence. I pushed the red button with a savage grin on my face. The explosion shook the earth and the air, and I looked up at the wall. A gaping hole lay in the side of the building, smoke and dust floating around the hole. Alarms sounded, and I ignored them blatantly.

I straightened, and strode through the wall. _Lab 241, they said. Bring her there for dissection, they said. I'll dissect their damn faces!_ I found the door, inscribed with the number 241. I banged open the door, and entered a large room.

There was a single metal table in the middle of the room. Alix lay on the table, obviously dead. A blue sheet lay over her, a hole in the middle baring her stomach. The skin was split and separated, and the organs exposed to the air. I grimaced. They hadn't drained the body of blood.

The walls were lined with cabinets. On a counter there was a sink, where a man was washing his hands. He hadn't even looked up. The Asian. I looked around for a weapon, and found a scalpel. I turned and shut the door, and locked it. Now he turned. I walked slowly to Alix's body, and placed my fingers on her throat. No pulse. Fury and hopelessness ignited in my chest. I spun on the man.

"My name is Fang Shadow. That's what you say," I said, ice in my voice.

"Yes," he said quietly.

"You killed my sister."

"Yes."

"You killed my twin."

"Yes."

"Now, I will avenge her."

"Yes."

"Then meet the Shadows' Revenge." I looked at him, steadily. I raised the scalpel to his throat. He didn't flinch. I yanked it across the flesh, and blood trickled from his throat. Without a sound, he dropped to the ground dead.

i dropped the scalpel on his body. It stood up, knife down in his cheek. I didn't move to pick it up. Instead, I turned to Alex. Her organs her untouched. I couldn't bear to see her like that. I picked up the sewing equipment, and sloppily stitched her body back together. Her eyes were open and eerily blank. I closed them. I turned away and left the building.

My revenge was sought. It was over.


	27. EPILOGUE!

Alix's POV:

Something was wrong. I couldn't move. I couldn't see. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't feel.

But I was alive.

I thought.

My mind was detached, unfocused. My pulse was so low and weak, even I couldn't feel it. Then I heard a voice. Fang's voice.

I tried to tell him I was OK. That I was alive. I couldn't. I felt my eyes were open but I could see nothing. I felt presences. I felt death. And I felt him touch me. My eyes were closed, and my body was stitched together. My body jump started when I heard the bang of the door, and my eyes snapped open.

I was alive.

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**ALRIGHT LISTEN UP HERE. Shadows' Revenge is DONE, dearies. BUT I will write a sequel under one condition. I get four different people asking for it. Then I will write about Alix trying to find the flock again and the things she encounters, and maybe go more into Fax, Aggy, and Krazor... . And maybe even Alyn. :D so if you want that to happen, like... review**

**~Alexandryne**


	28. Sequel link

**OK so I caved. I'm writing a sequel anyway. it's called United, so keep an eye out for it! Erase everything after .net/ in your address bar, and paste: s/7100342/1/United**

**(I would have put the whole link but for some reason, it wouldn't let me... sorry! But, enjoy none the less!)  
**


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